Navigate:

Defiant Team Perry's plan: Hit harder

The Texan has sought to put the best face on his stumbling debut in the joint forums so far, pronouncing himself not a very “slick” debater in an implicit-but-obvious contrast with the more polished Romney.

But Perry supporters recognize that if he doesn’t step up his debate performances — there are two more next month — doubts about his prospects will continue to grow, and it’ll be more difficult for him to drive a message.

Text Size

-

+

reset

“I think he will improve his performance,” predicted Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), a Perry backer who introduced him at the Michigan GOP’s Mackinac conference last weekend.Other Perry supporters are feeling a greater sense of urgency.

“He just has to perform better,” said one of his bundlers. “And if he doesn’t, he’s not going to do well in this thing.”

The bundler said similar feelings were expressed by other donors on a Perry finance conference call Tuesday.

“It’s not panic yet, but there is a little bit of nervousness,” said this source, adding that those on the call wanted some reassurance that the candidate would come better prepared to the next debate.

Added another Perry donor who has been trying to corral contributors: “The debate performances didn’t send people to Romney; it just convinced people to stay on the fence for longer.”

Part of the frustration among donors owes to a sense that they’re not completely looped into the campaign and therefore can’t effectively make Perry’s case when trying to persuade other money types to come on board.

In the early states, Republicans indicate Perry’s dip owes chiefly on his opposition to a border fence and support for legislation in Texas offering in-state tuition to the children of illegal immigrants.

In his conference call with South Carolina Republicans Monday, first reported by CNN, Perry talked at length about immigration, according to sources familiar with the call.

South Carolina state Sen. Larry Grooms, a Perry supporter and hard-liner on immigration, said his candidate “needs to say what he’s done on the overall issue in Texas.”

“That’s been getting drowned out by the in-state tuition issue,” Grooms said, noting that he’s had to respond to questions from Republicans about Perry’s immigration stance.

The legislator added: “What is Rick Perry’s strategy on immigration? If he addresses that, I believe the chatter will go away.”

Another Perry backer in South Carolina said that the immigration issue hadn’t penetrated yet with rank-and-file voters but had spooked the party insiders there who are paying close attention to the presidential primary.

“A lot of people are freaked out,” said this South Carolinian. “All the coverage of [immigration] has clearly put some urgency on him.”

Asked if Perry’s team seemed to get the urgency, the source paused and then said: “The extent has not been expected. This honeymoon thing isn’t lasting.”

In Iowa, where Perry’s wife, Anita, opened his headquarters on Tuesday evening, Republicans say that party activists still have high hopes for the Texan if not the unbridled enthusiasm of a month ago.

“Rick Perry is still the front-runner here, but it’s a tenuous position,” said unaligned Iowa GOP strategist Steve Grubbs, adding that “voters need some convincing.”

Grubbs suggested Perry could do himself some good if he submitted to doing a round of interviews with the state’s influential local conservative talkers.

“We have three or four big talk radio programs,” noted Grubbs. “If he did those and handled them well, that would give voters a lot of confidence.”

"Rick Perry’s widely-panned debate performances? Just a hiccup. Any major changes in debate prep? None planned. His unexpected and deflating Florida straw poll loss last weekend? Not a big deal." - Politico

This Country Square just doesn't get it...............................he's the least qualified of any of the candidates in the race right now. Go back and watch the debates...................lol.

The Slick Rick's campaign is going to get dirty and has already starting engaging in "personal attacks". This guy has ZERO Class that's for sure.

Slick Rick will say anything to get elected, I believe he's still an Al Gore Democrat who has a hard time telling the truth.

In the last debate Slick Rick said when talking about why he by-passed the real Conservative Republican legislature to mandate PerryCare said.............." I was lobbied by a 31 yr woman who had the cancer..........." The FACT is Slick Rick didn't meet this 31yr woman until two weeks AFTER he signed the mandated healthcare.

Slick Rick has doubled down on all his liberal positions..................IN-state tutition for Illegals, No border fence, applauded New York's Gay Marriage, PerryCare for Merck cash, and foolishing attacking Social Security a program that needs reformed and is approved by 87% of Americans.

Not sure why this weak candidate ever threw his cowboy hat into the ring. Sounds like he needs better advisors.............................next !

For Perry’s camp, that means the best way to turn the page from unsteady debate turns and a decisive loss at the Florida GOP’s straw poll is to only redouble their attacks on Romney.

lol.................yep "personal attacks" which will turn all voters away from this Country Square..........who has a very time putting a simple sentence together.

Slick Rick needs to put out a "jobs plan" and a "Social Security" reform plan, but don't hold your breath on that.

His state of Texas is suffering with the worst unemployment in a quarter-century, 8.5%. And while Obama added ZERO jobs in August the state of Texas acutually lost over 1,000 jobs.

So much for the Texas miracle......................the FACT is we should be calling it the Texas Mirage.......

Romney, the Fiscal Conservative/ Rubio - the Social Conservative............is the team that put every US State into play in the 2012...............All the Blue States will be in play with this strong solid smart and proven tickett............only Washington DC is a safe bet for Obama to win on November 6th, 2012.............

Mitt Romney has received a lot of notable endorsements lately from high profile political leaders such as Tim Pawlenty, Thaddeus McCotter and Arizona Republican Congressman Jeff Flake. He's also received a slew of endorsements from elected officials around the country such as Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

While Mitt Romney is racking up an impressive list of endorsements from political leaders around the country, he's also getting endorsements from businessmen who know what it takes to create jobs and what is required to keep the economy healthy. One such businessman is Jack Welch, the former CEO and Chairman of General Electric, who recently explained why he was endorsing Mitt Romney:

If you believe the universe was created in six days, how do you respond to the overwhelming evidence to the contrary? With dumb and angry defiance. If you believe humans were created in one day and as a finished product, how do you defend against the massive evidence to the contrary? With obstinate, even hostile, defiance. If you believe the great consensus of world scientists (who have actually studied the matter) are wrong about global warming, how do you react? With contemptuous defiance (and throw in a fictional conspiracy theory to pathetically prop up your own ridiculous belief). Perry may improve his debate performances -- it would be hard to perform more poorly -- but he will still be the dimmest bulb on the dim Republican debate stage. The man didn't become brainy and scholarly after he turned in four collegiate years of less than mediocre work; on the contrary, "his" book Fed Up! seems written by a grade-schooler and will sink him politically outside Republican circles. So Perry will go with what has gotten him elected and re-elected; hardball attacks on his rivals. Every Republican candidate should take note: Perry has trashed Reagan's "Eleventh Commandment" and will be hitting every scary rival with every hateful factual and factually dubious thing his handlers can come up with. If Palin doesn't jump in and join Romney and others in relentlessly attacking Perry, then he will win the Republican nomination, however ugly and unfairly. Dumb, angry defiance may win him a Republican nomination, but I trust the large majority of Americans will reject it resoundingly (as they should).

The Perry team is exactly right. We're still almost half a year out from the first set of primaries. Nothing that happens at this point matters.

When it comes down to it, Perry still has the edge in Iowa and South Carolina. Those states will be extremely reluctant to vote for Romney because of religious and cultural reasons. And the rest of the field is incredibly weak, to the point where they are hardly worth mentioning.

All Perry has to do is stay in contention (he still leads in the polls, after all), and then carry his momentum from those wins through to other states. It's not surprising to see the press hyperventilate over a single debate performance, but when all is said and done, Perry stands an excellent chance of winning the nomination.

Romney supporters should ask themselves how many elections their guy has actually won. The answer is just one. He failed to beat Ted Kennedy, declined to run against to Deval Patrick, and lost badly to John McCain in 2008.

Perry, on the other hand, has never lost an election. And there is a pro Perry super PAC set to spend over $50 million on the primaries alone.

This news headline should read instead - "Perry camp defiant in face of defeat for nomination" - The Texas Governor said this after losing the race for Republican Presidential nominee - "I can still sit down to Thanksgiving Dinner with my Hispanic brother-in-law, look him strait in the eyes and say 'I tried for amnesty and annexation of Mexico, but could not fool them - and being an Eagle Scout I could not lie".

Mitt Romney's liberal views. Don't shoot the messenger, these are all direct quotes from Romney himself.

On health care reform:

"We're spending a billion dollars giving health care to people who don't have insurance. And my question was: Could we take that billion dollars and help the poor purchase insurance? Let them pay what they can afford. We'll subsidize what they can't."

"I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I have since the time that my mom took that position when she ran in 1970 as a US Senate candidate. I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should sustain and support it."

"I am a supporter of the federal assault weapons ban. I don't think [the waiting period] will have a massive effect on crime but I think it will have a positive effect."

Source: http://www.massresistance.org/docs/marriage/romney/record/

"[As] we seek to establish full equality for American gay and lesbian citizens, I will provide more effective leadership than [Ted Kennedy]...we must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern."

"There will be children born to same-sex couples, and adopted by same-sex couples, and I believe that there should be rights and privileges associated with those unions and with the children that are part of those unions."

Source: http://www.massresistance.org/docs/marriage/romney/record/

On the right of gays to serve openly in the military:

"I am convinced that [DADT] will be the first of a number of steps that will ultimately lead to gays and lesbians being able to serve openly and honestly in our nation's military....I would be surprised if it stops there. I believe that there will be change over time as the military establishment and the rank-and-file become more comfortable with the realities of sexual orientation in the military. I will support progress being made in that area as time progresses and the military and society becomes more accepting."

Source: http://www.massresistance.org/docs/marriage/romney/record/

On domestic partnership benefits:

"I will support and endorse efforts to provide those domestic partnership benefits to gay and lesbian couples."